Yesterday, the NAACP named the nominees in the 43rd NAACP Image Awards. Some of Soapdom's favorite stars got the nod. We asked Days of our Lives James Reynolds ("Abe Carver") how he felt about getting a nomination this year...

"It's a tremendous surprise," he said. "I really had not thought about it. I am very honored. I look at this as an affirmation for the audience that's out there for us."

The reason for Reynold's surprise was that he did not submit himself for the awards this year. He shared that the PR firm that does publicity for Days of our Lives, did all the submitting. So, when Reynolds got the news he was not only thrilled, he was touched.

Reynolds, who has been a mainstay in Salem since 1981, has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award three times in the past (in 2002, 2004 and 2007). He couldn't say enough wonderful things about this initiative and the broadcast. "(I've) been part of the show. The show is fun. It's great seeing people that I know and catching up with them, and also people I don't know and getting to meet them."

Yup, he is definitely looking forward to this year's broadcast.

Meanwhile, over on The Bold and the Beautiful, they couldn't be more excited about the three nominations for their cast.

Texas Battle first appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful as "Marcus Walton" in May, 2008. When Battle's character arrived in town, it was soon revealed that "Marcus" was a secret that "Donna Logan Forrester" (played by Jennifer Gareis) had been keeping since she was a teenager; he was her illegitimate son with her high school sweetheart "Justin Barber" (played by Aaron D. Spears). After a reunion with his mother, he was adopted by "Donna's" then husband, "Eric Forrester" (played by John McCook), and became a member of the Forrester fashion dynasty.

Aaron D. Spears portrays "Justin Barber", a loving father, devoted husband, and ambitious executive vice president of Spencer Publications, a major magazine conglomerate. Spears joined the cast of B&B in September of 2009.

Yvette Freeman plays "Dr. Lewis", an oncologist who in the past treated hopeless cancer patient, "Stephanie Forrester" (played by Emmy®-Award winner and original cast member Susan Flannery). In 2011 she played a pivotal role in the story of "Nick Marone's" (played by Jack Wagner) attempt to quit smoking.

This marks Battle and Freeman's third NAACP Image Award nomination each; he was previously nominated in 2009 and 2010 and she was nominated in 2010 and 2011. It marks Spears' second NAACP Image Award nomination, his first being in 2010.

Today's announcement increases B&B's NAACP Image Award nominations to a total of 14 that have been received since the show's debut 25 years ago. In 1993, the late William J. Bell was nominated, and won, in the category of Outstanding Daytime Drama Series. In 1999, Usher was nominated in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his role as "Raymond", as was Antonio Sabato, Jr. in 2005 and 2006 for his role as "Dante Damiano", Mykel Shannon Jenkins in 2008 for his role as "Charlie Baker", and Dan Martin in 2009 for his role as "Lt. Baker."

The 43rd NAACP Image Awards will be presented in a star-studded, two-hour broadcast, live from the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, February 17 from 8-10 PM ET(PT tape delayed) on NBC.